Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Acquired by Savant Capital LLC

Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 49.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,733 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,734 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,325,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 261,815 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $5,823,000 after buying an additional 17,188 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 108,964 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $2,423,000 after purchasing an additional 12,428 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2,314.5% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,328 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 11.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 715,032 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $15,902,000 after purchasing an additional 76,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter worth about $374,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WBA opened at $17.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $19.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.62. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.25 and a fifty-two week high of $32.89.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.38. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.11% and a negative net margin of 4.18%. The business had revenue of $37.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.61%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -14.29%.

Insider Activity at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $19.38 per share, for a total transaction of $116,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at $3,235,859.22. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 166,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,235,859.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on WBA shares. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and set a $20.00 price target (down from $27.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Leerink Partnrs reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Monday, February 26th. TheStreet upgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.36.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc operates as a healthcare, pharmacy, and retail company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Retail Pharmacy, International, and U.S. Healthcare. The U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment engages in operation of the retail drugstores, health and wellness services, specialty, and home delivery pharmacy services, which offers health and wellness, beauty, personal care and consumables, and general merchandise.